Pulling through
by annlu73
Summary: A new case that will take B&B to their limits. A body is found at the airport, and the investigation is more dangerous than anybody would have thought. Chapters 11 and 12 are up. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own them. Only make them do what I want for this story!**

**This is my first fanfic, so be critical, but not too critical. I am not a native speaker, so if I made any mistakes, feel free to correct me! Oh, and please: reviews are the icing on my cake... ;o)**

PULLING THROUGH 

Prologue

Juan SanMarcos was a religious man. His faith in god had always been extraordinary strong. His parents had told him never to question god's choices. What you got from life would always be what god had in mind for you and what was best for you. Everybody would eventually understand that.

When Juan's plan of leaving his birthplace slowly started to form in his mind, he always believed that it was his only chance. When he scrubbed other peoples toilets and dirty floors after he had come to the big city, he reminded himself of the fact that that was what god had in mind for him before finally helping him to have a better life somewhere else.

He had spent 4 years working hard on the lowest jobs one could imagine, and put every peso he could spare aside. That night, when he finally gave all his money to a dubious man in a dark alley, he was filled with hope and pure joy. He listened to the promises of wealth and well-being in that other country, and he was sure he had done the right thing.

When he put himself to sleep on his shady mattress that night, he once more pulled the worn photograph of a beautiful young woman out of his pocket and kissed it.

'Isabel", he thought. "Finally everything will be good.'

It was only a few days later, when he started to doubt his luck.

Even if he pulled all his faith together, he just couldn't believe that he was meant to be painfully cradled together in that small wooden box in the cold luggage compartment of a cargo airplane. He felt his chest tightening as he realized that he was not getting enough air to make it through his journey. He tried to reach for the photograph in his pocket, but there was not enough room to move his body even one inch.

Juan closed his eyes, his thoughts wondering of to his parents, his siblings and finally to Isabel, the love of his life.

Then everything turned dark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: No, still don't own them. I'll notify you if that changes! **

Very early on a wonderful spring morning, Special Agent Seely Booth arrived at the Jeffersonian Institute with a bag of fresh bagels in tow and a smile on his face. He was in a good mood, and he had every right to be after successfully closing a complicated case the night before.

He was going to see how Bones was doing, probably she was already working on some poor dead guy called John Doe something. Maybe he could persuade her to have a little breakfast in her office to start off the day? As he entered the lab, he could already hear he was not mistaken, as Bones already seemed to be in the midst of identifying a body.

"John Doe 2577. Caucasian, probably in his mid-thirties. Poor bone density, which is rare for that age. Cause might be genetic or an aquired disease which..."

"Hey, Bones!" Booth interrupted Brennan's monologue. "Care for a bagel?"

Brennan frowned at him. "Don't interrupt me, Booth. And thanks, I already ate an apple for breakfast. Zach?" she said, turning to the young doctor standing right next to her.

"Thanks, Dr. Brennan, but I'm actually not that fond of bagels and..." Zach was cut off by an impatient Temperance Brennan.

"Dr. Addy, I was not talking about breakfast here. If you don't mind, I was referring to these bones. Maybe you could take a closer look at them and come up with a possible explanation for the low bone density."

Zach nodded and hurried to get a magnifying glass. Booth chuckled. Brennan shook her head in disbelief.

"Booth, can I actually do anything for you? Because if not, I would love to get my work done." she snapped. Booth came up to her, waving the paper bag containing the bagels right in front of her nose.

"Sure you don't want any? Come on, Bones. They are fresh and totally delicious!" he promised. Bones sighed.

"Booth, please. I know you feel great because we wrapped up that case last night. And it's nice. But that was just a small portion of the work that is actually waiting here for me, and I just can't understand how you cannot see that I'm busy."

He was about to answer, when the ringing of his cell phone stopped him from doing so. He threw the bagels into the arms of the anthropologist, and grabbed the phone from his coat pocket.

"Booth." he answered the call. "Oh, good morning sir...excuse me?...right, well, I was actually just about to come to the office to...yes, sir. Of course. ... Dr. Brennan, yes, Sir, coincidentally Dr. Brennan is standing right next to me. I was...ahem, I wanted to pick something up at her office."

Brennan rolled her eyes. She opened the paper bag in her hands for a quick glance at its contents. Well, actually, those bagels did look delicious. Maybe just one small bite... She reached for a sun dried tomato one. Booth was still on the phone.

"Yes, Sir. No, no problem. ... We will be right there. Bye."

Booth quickly slid the phone back in his pocket and grabbed a surprised Brennan by her arm, stopping her from snatching the bagel and moving her towards the lab doors.

"Hey!" she protested. "First you promise me breakfast, and then I don't even get to taste a single bite."

"We have to go. There's a case waiting for us. You can eat on our way to the airport." Booth explained to her. Bones pulled her arm away and turned around.

"Let me at least get my things," she said, while hurrying up some stairs and grabbing her jacket and a lab case. "And anyway, the airport? If we have to fly somewhere I probably need an overnight bag, don't I?

Booth shook his head while heading out of the lab.

"Nobody said we're flying, Bones. The case might be waiting for us on airport territory, but it is down on the ground." 

**Short chapter, I know. But if I get to write what I have in mind, this might gonna get good. So bare with me - and please review...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** **Don't. Own. Them. (Which is too bad, really.)**

**Hey guys, I'm back already – and I brought chapter 3 with me. I'm not sure I'll be able to continue updating this regularly, but we'll see. As of now, the ideas still keep coming.**

"So, how come you were so cranky this morning?" Booth smiled at Brennan while pulling the SUV on the highway. He noticed he still was in a good mood. That was object to change soon when they would reach the possible crime scene, but at least he wouldn't allow Brennan to spoil his day by being miserable. 

Brennan looked up. "Cranky? I wasn't cranky."

Booth reached for his sunglasses and put them on. "Oh, yes you were. You seemed pretty tense to me. Maybe you need a vacation?" He was prepared for loud protest when he said that, but, surprisingly, didn't get any. Instead, Bones sighed and sank back in the passenger seat.

"Maybe you're right." she finally said.

He looked at her in astonishment. "I am? Gee, Bones, thank you. I can't believe you really said that. You giving in like that almost makes me worry about you." He chuckled, but turned serious again when he saw that Bones looked tired.

"Come on Bones. There's something on your mind, isn't there. You can tell me anything, you know that. Has it anything to do with our last case?"

She shook her head. "No." She paused.

Booth decided not to investigate any further. If she didn't wanna talk, fine. She probably wasn't in the mood to let him read her like an open book. Maybe she only needed some time.

After a couple of minutes of driving in silence, Brennan picked up the conversation again.

"Booth?"

"Yeah, Bones?"

"I mean, maybe I really should take some days off. I don't even recognize myself. I've always been someone who was able to work under pressure. But for the last couple of weeks, I felt like things outgrow me. I'm only functioning, like a machine, I don't feel like a human being anymore." She let out a heavy breath. 'I can't believe I told him that' she thought. 'Am I crazy? It's not like he's my therapist or something.'

"That's a normal reaction to stress."

"You think so? That it's normal?"

"Yes. Well, if you look at everything that happend in the past year, I'm not surprised. The thing with your parents, your brother – then the gravedigger, and Howard Epps..."

"You, shooting an innocent clown..." she chipped in.

"Me, shooting an innocent clown..." he admitted.

They both had to laugh.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out with Sully, Bones." Booth finally said.

Brennan bit her lip.

"Don't be. It's ok. He was a nice guy, but we were just too different. It wasn't meant to be. Maybe I'm not really a 'relationship person'."

Before Booth could object, they had reached the exit to the airport and Brennan looked out of the window, trying to find out where they had to go.

"Maybe we should have brought Zach. He should be included in stuff like that. He needs more responsibility, after all, he's more than just my grad student now. He's a full-functional anthropologist."

'Full-functional?' Booth thought. 'Maybe more like a little disfunctional, and full with squinty behaviour, that's for sure.' He decided not to say that out loud. Instead, he nodded in agreement.

"We'll bring him next time. And for now, he can be your backup at the lab, and he can assist you when you return with whatever me may find here." He took a turn to the left.

"Cullen said they found the body on the airport garbage dump. Nice place to end somebody's life."

After driving around the whole airport terrain, the arrived at the right place. There were a couple of police cars standing at the fence right next to a large garbage truck. Cops and garbage men were wandering around. Booth made out Cullen in a group of people who seemed to be airport personal.

They both got out of the car. Brennan made her way through the small crowd to take a look at the remains, while Booth met up with Cullen to catch up on the latest new.

"Sir."

"Morning, Booth." Cullen pointed over to the remains. "As you can see, a decomposed body was found here by some garbage men in the early morning hours. It was stuck in a wooden box, which was thrown into that large trash container. Probably would never have been discovered if the box hadn't fallen out of the container by accident while while they were trying to empty it into the truck. The box broke and out came the body."

Booth turned up his coat collar in an attempt to cover his mouth and nose. The smell of the trash, the remains or both was just unbearable. He shuddered. "So why is this a matter for the fbi, sir? I admit, I can smell murder here – in every sense of the word, I'd say, but why go federal on this?"

Cullen raised his eyebrows in concern. "It's the box." he stated. Booth look at him confused.

"Well," Cullen continued. "The box has kind of a false bottom. It actually looks as if the human body was put on the bottom, covered with wooden shelves, and then the box was filled with whatever was actually supposed to be in there – whatever that may have been. We assume it was cargo, but what we don't know is how it ended up here. Combined with the fact that there are remains words in Spanish on a sticker on the side of the box, we should really find out where this came from. I doubt it originated in the U.S. "

Booth nodded. He understood. "You think our victim here was a blind passenger from South America? I always thought that people smuggling was more of a problem at the Mexican-American border."

"Apparently, we should at least look into that. We also need to know if he or she was still alive when put in that box."

"He." Booth and Cullen turned around. They hadn't noticed Brennan coming up to them. She pulled off her examination gloves. "The victim is male, aged around 20 to 25, I suppose. Those remains need to be bagged carefully and brought to the Jeffersonian."

Both men nodded.

Brennan took out her cell phone in order to call the lab, but then readdressed Cullen first. "Oh, and I need the box and everything that appears to have been in it, for Hodgins." She stepped aside with the phone. "Zach? It's Dr. Brennan. Listen, put the bones from this morning on hold, will you? We have an urgent case coming up and I need everybody's full attention on this. ... What?... Yes, we will be back with the remains shortly."

Booth finally stepped over to the remains to take a closer look. He felt a lump in his throat when seeing what was left of what was once a human body. 20 to 25, Brennan had said. Way to young to die. And whoever it was, no way he had deserved to end up like this.

**Whoa, this is getting ugly. You probably know by now who our poor victim is, but there is so much more to it. Stay tuned and make the poor author happy with a nice little review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** **Don't own them. Fox does, and I hope they intend to keep them for at least another 5 seasons!**

**First of all, thanks a lot to everyone who has read and reviewed my story. I hope you like it – some obviously do, which makes me a very happy camper! If anybody has corrections or suggestions to make, don't hesitate to do so. I welcome any help I can get!  
While you're here – grab a muffin. Just baked some fresh ones and they taste yummy. And now: sit back, relax, enjoy the next chapter!**

While Booth stayed at the scene to question the garbage men and some airport workers, Brennan returned to the lab to further investigate the remains. She and Zach took a close look at the bones and were soon joined by Angela and Hodgins, who lived up to his reputation as the "bug and slime"-guy by examining the wooden box the corpse had been found in as well as some trash from the scene that might have any connection to it.

Zach was closely examining the body inch by inch with a magnifying glass.

"Dr. Brennan, I can't find any evidence for assault. The bones seem to be intact as far as I can see."

Temperance Brennan observed Zach's examination. She took a closer look at the body's jaw and larynx, but also couldn't find any abnormalities. She looked up to Zach.

"So, Dr. Addy, what do you suggest is the cause of death, considering what we found here so far?"

Zach reached to the victim's chest and pulled some tissue aside.

"Well, we see here that the victim's lung is pretty much collapsed. Even in this state of composition, I would assume that this indicates suffocation. As there doesn't seem to be any damage to the larynx and its adjoining areas, I would say the poor guy simply ran out of air. The box was not airtight, but he didn't have much space in there, and then probably being in the cargo compartment of an airplane, a couple of thousand feet above ground... doesn't really help you breath."

Brennan nodded. "He probably did suffocate, I agree. What else have we got? Any ID?"

Zach turned away from the bones to show her two petri dishes, which contained small particles.

"No ID. Only small stuff. Here is what I found under the victim's fingernails. I put it under the microscope. It's wood, probably from the box he was in – Hodgins still has to match it, though."

Brennan put the petri dish under the microscope to take a look at it.

"If it is the same wood, then that is even more proof that he was still alive when put in there. I guess he couldn't move in there, so when he ran out of air, he panicked and pressed his fingers into the wood."

Zach nodded and pointed towards a lab tray nearby.

"Here is what is left from his clothes. No labels in there. Looks like a cotton shirt and worn denim pants. The uneven seams are probably a sign of a cheap, low quality. Same for the shoes – probably cheap sneakers. Size 8."

"Did you find anything in the pockets?"

"Nothing except some lint. But the clothes are pretty much rotten, the pockets are bearing holes and anything that might have been in there could have easily fallen out." Zach shrugged.

Right that moment, Hodgins arrived. "Fallen out?" he asked. "Like, let's say... a photograph?"

He held something up with a pair of tweezers. It was a small photograph of a young woman. It was in a very bad shape, it had an even pattern of straight marks on its surface, probably from being folded.

Hodgins gave it to Brennan.  
"I found it in one of the gaps between the wooden planks from the box. Almost missed it, it was folded into a neat little paper ball. The box, by the way, is a very simple wooden container. Bad quality. There's a small imprinting in Spanish on the side, probably some company who used that thing before." Jack looked over to the body.

"My guess is it comes somewhere from South America. Boxes like that are still used in some south American countries to transport goods. Finding it here, especially at the airport, means that someone may have used it on a cargo plane – which is pretty uncommon. Usually plastic or metal containers are used for air transportation."

Brennan still looked at the woman in the photograph. She looked beautiful. She turned the picture around. Someone had scribbled "Isa" on the back, with a small heart drawn at the side. Angela came up to her and looked over her shoulder. Zach tried to put two and two together.

"So, we have a box from south America, containing a body of a young male who was probably hidden in that box when he was still alive. No indication that someone killed him on purpose. Cheap clothing, no personal belongings except maybe this photograph of a woman." He sounded very rational.

Angela took the photo from Brennan's hands. She sighed.  
"Oh guys, this is so sad. I can almost see it – a poor young fellow from a poor south American country with a plan of going somewhere else, where he can have a better life... Only thing he takes with him is the only photograph of his girl, hoping he will one day see her again. It is tragic!"

Hodgins put her arms around her. "You're such a romantic, Ange. You haven't lost touch to the real world, like genius boy here."

Zach looked offended. "I was merely sticking to the facts."

Brennan interrupted the two men. "Guys, let's get to the point. Zach, I want you to clean the bones so Angela can do a facial reconstruction. Angela, take the photograph and make a scan, so we have something we can work with within our database. Hodgins, when you're through with your workplace romance, maybe you could finish your work on that box. Find out which country it came from. What was in there. Match the particles Zach found under his fingernails to the wood."

She went to her office.

The three scientists got to their places quickly in order to fulfill their given tasks. Angela giggled quietly, while thinking of a new nickname for her best friend. Something like "General Brennan" came to her mind.

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Booth had spent some time at the airport, questioning the men who had found the body and talking to the airport staff about the cargo planes that using the airport on a regular basis. He had found out that there weren't that many flights from South- and Central America coming in. In the last couple of weeks, it had only been around twenty machines which had landed there, all with the correct paperwork and no problems at customs.

He asked the airport cargo manager for a list of companies who directly imported goods from south America. The list contained three well-known wholesale traders. Booth doubted that those had anything to to with smuggling people to the U.S., but as there were no other leads until the squints would inform him of their findings, he decided to pay the three companies a visit.

The first two companies didn't look suspicious to him at all. The managers were very supportive and let him check the reports on their recent cross-border transactions. Both of them supplied him with their phone numbers, should he have any further questions.

It was already afternoon and Booth was in the car on his way to the third address on the list, when his cell phone rang. Checking the display, he saw that it was Brennan.

"Bones?" he answered the phone.

"Yes, hi Booth."

"How are things going at the lab? What did you find out so far?"

"The victim obviously wasn't subject to an assault. He probably suffocated in that box. Angela's working on a facial reconstruction. So far we found out that the box probably came from South America. Jack's pretty sure that it's from El Salvador, judging by what he made out of the few Spanish word's we found. Oh, and there's a photograph."

"What kind of photograph? Where did you find it?"

"It was stuck between the wooden gaps of the box, folded neatly. Must have fallen out of the victim's pocket as he...well, decomposed. It's the picture of a woman. Probably Hispanic. Name might be "Isa", or "Isabel", as that's what it says on the back. "

"That's pretty good, Bones. I'm impressed."

"So how's your investigation going? When are you joining us at the lab?"

Booth pulled the car over in front of a large brick building.

"I'm actually almost done with checking some trading companies. One more to go, then I'll be there. "

"OK."

"Oh, and Bones?"

"Yes, Booth?"

"Grab yourself a coffee. Take a break. Relax for a while. We'll continue when I get there."

"Sure."

He just knew she was lying. He sighed.

When he entered the building, nothing appeared to be odd at first. He was greeted by a staff member, then introduced to the manager. It seemed to be one of those days where flashing an FBI badge really gained you some respect.

Again, he took a look at some lists and files. Nothing new. He turned to the manager.

"Excuse me Sir, but how often do you have business contacts to El Salvador?"

The manager gave him a puzzled look. "El Salvador? We don't do business there at all. You know, that country is still very poor, not really an ideal candidate for the import/export-business."

Booth nodded. The manager continued talking. "It's really a shame what the war did to those poor people over there. Lost even the little they had. Jose Dias, my accountant, fled the country with his family in the early nineties. He always says if he had stayed there, some of them probably would have starved, or been killed, or raped. You name it."

Booth listened closely. "Sir, would it be possible to speak to Mr. Dias?"

The manager shook his head. "I'm afraid he won't be in until tonight. He often works late, likes to have time for his family during the day. And for us, it's convenient, as he can work off what piles up during a busy day." He paused. "Why would you wanna talk to him, anyway? I mean, we have nothing to hide, he is a legal resident of the United States. I wouldn't employ anybody who was an illegal immigra..."

Booth cut him off. "No Sir, that's not what this is all about. It's just, the body we found might have been someone from El Salvador. And as I don't really know much about that country, I am interested in any general information your employee could provide me with. I never suspected any illegal activity in your company."

He managed to calm down the manager with those words. He left his phone number, so Jose Dias could call him up for an appointment later that day. After taking a final look at some business papers, but not finding anything peculiar, he left and made his way back to the lab.

The squints were already waiting for him. Angela waved at him with her sketchbook, while Zach started to babble about some DNA profiles they were able to create. Booth felt a little run over.

"Whoa, guys. Let me just get myself in here, would you. Where is Brennan?"

Hodgins walked over and pointed to her office. "She's in there, finishing the database research. We scanned the photograph in an attempt to maybe find something about this Isa-woman."

As he finished that sentence, Brennan already stepped out of her office. She looked very content. "Oh, hi Booth! Guys, you won't believe what I found..." 

**Awww...I am sorry, but I have to leave you with this little cliffie. I am not sure when I will be able to update, but I will do my very best to give you new chapters on a regular basis. And never forget: make me smile, push that little review button... ;o) (Come on guys, I even gave you muffins! And weren't those good?)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:****Same old, same old. They're not mine. (If they were, believe me, we wouldn't have to wait for weeks to get a new episode!)**

**Hi y'all! Here I am again. Thanks to everybody who read and reviewed my fic. Really, thanks a lot. This writing thing is not easy for me, but still, it's a lot of fun and I'm glad that some of you are interested in my little story.**

**In the summary, I promised you some action – you might be wondering where that is. So before everybody gets bored, let's try to add some in this chapter. Enjoy!**

_As he finished that sentence, Brennan already stepped out of her office. She looked very content. "Oh, hi Booth! Guys, you won't believe what I found..."_

Four pairs of eyes stared at her eagerly. Booth walked over to glance at the papers in her hand, but she quickly pulled them away, smiling.

"Bones, come on. Show me those. What did you find out?" Booth tried to grab the papers, but couldn't.

Temperance Brennan chuckled. "Okay, okay. See, Angela scanned the photograph, and I tried to match it with pictures of immigrants which are in the police files. And, as you might have noticed, I came up with something!"

Angela shook her head in surprise. "You mean, the little lady on the photograph has a police record?"

Zach frowned. "She's a criminal?"

That, of course, wouldn't really fit with the squints' idea of romance and love between two poor immigrants from South America.

Brennan nodded. "Well, actually, yes. She has a police record. Is she a criminal? Theoretically. Practically, she was arrested for working as a housekeeper without any work permit. Her name was Isabel Valdez. She fled to the US from El Salvador, about five years ago. She was charged with working illegally, but wondrously charges were dropped after it became clear that she had already been engaged to a legal US citizen, who himself had come from El Salvador a couple of years before. She married him soon after and is now Isabel Dias."

She finally handed the papers to Booth, who studied them with interest. He suddenly stopped, pulled a business card out of his pocket, looked at it and stared back at the paper.

"That is..." he started, shaking his head in disbelief. "Dias. Isabel Dias. Husband's name: Julio Dias. And here it gets interesting: when she was released on bail, her husbands brother actually paid for it. His name is Jose Dias."

The other's gave him a puzzled look. So far, none of what he said made any impression on them. Booth took the papers, and grabbed his car keys and coat, which he had put on a chair right next to him.

"Let's go, Bones."

Brennan hesitated. "Excuse me Booth, you're not making any sense to me. Why is it important that her last name is Dias? And why are you interested in her brother in law?"

Booth sighed. "Well, her brother in law happens to work as an accountant in one of the trading companies that I visited today. A little bit too much of a connection to be coincidental, don't you think? I'd say we drop by that place again and ask Mr. Dias if he knows anything about shipping human beings in wooden boxes."

Jack Hodgins gave a high five to Angela. "Conspiracy!" they both called.

Booth looked over to them, then to Zach. "I know he's a weirdo, but when did he infect her?"

Zach looked at him very seriously. "Research shows that people who spend a lot of time together tend to adapt some of their partner's oddities. As an anthropologist, I believe that they probably do that because..."

Brennan chuckled and interrupted him, as she saw Booth face turning slightly red. "Thanks, Zach, but we really have to go now." She pulled Booth towards the door. "Come on."

They headed out of the lab and to the car.

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The black SUV pulled up to the company's building again. Booth walked straight to office that he had already been in earlier. He found the manager with his coat on, ready to leave. The man looked surprised. "Agent Booth. Have you forgotten anything?"

Booth shook his head.

"I am looking for Mr. Dias. You said he would be there tonight, so I thought I would stop by with my partner. We have a couple of questions."

"Well, actually, he didn't come in tonight. When I called him to give him your number, he sounded pretty wiped out. Said he was sick and would have to take the night off. Tell me, Agent Booth, is there anything I should know? Mr. Dias has been my accountant for numerous years and I never had any reason to complain. I just can't believe that the FBI has any interest in him."

This time, Brennan answered. "Don't worry, Sir. He is not a suspect. We just need some advice concerning someone from El Salvador whom he might know."

The manager was still uptight, but agreed to give Booth and Brennan his employees adress. Booth wouldn't have had any difficulties to get it through the FBI anyway, so there wasn't any use to disclose that information. After all, he wanted to cooperate.

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The address lead Booth and Brennan to a pretty shabby part of town. They pulled up to a simple house in the end of a dirty road. They went to ring at the door, but nobody answered.

Brennan tried to look in one of the windows.

"If he's really sick, then he better be home, don't you think, Booth?"

"I doubt he really has any problems with his health. Looks more like somebody is trying to hide something and has absolutely no success in doing so. "

"You wanna kick the door in?" Brennan sounded delighted.

"Not yet. Let's take a look at the back yard."

Booth put the hand on his gun while they carefully made their way around the house. Before reaching the back yard, he pulled his weapon and peeked around the corner. Brennan was right behind him, jealously watching, but she decided against bringing up the "I want a gun for myself"-subject. After the death of Howard Epps, Booth had talked her into turning in the gun she had managed to get for herself. 'Stupid me.' she thought.

The back yard was empty, and as the curtains were closed, they couldn't get a glance at the inside of the house.

They decided to walk back to the front door. Booth rang the doorbell once more, but, after there still was no reaction from the inside, decided to get into action. He pulled out his cell phone, calling for backup. Then he turned to the door.

"Get out of the way, Bones."

She did. He stepped back, gathered strength and gave the door his best kick. The wood cracked easily, due to the bad shape the whole house - including said door - was in. He repeated the kick and the door just broke. Booth reached through a hole to turn the door knob, his gun pointed to the inside.

The door opened, revealing the inside of the house. It was dark, and Booth tried to turn on the lights, but they wouldn't work. Somebody seemed to have turned off the electricity. He and Brennan slowly entered and checked room by room. The house didn't look abandoned. It was clean, and somebody obviously had spent some time decorating. More of a classical family home, than a criminal's hiding place. When they were in the kitchen, they suddenly heard a noise from upstairs. Brennan cringed. Booth turned around to her.

"Stay behind me, Bones. We're gonna get that guy."

"Booth, what if there's more than one?"

He drew a loud breath. She was right. He reached to his ankle, pulling out a small caliber gun that was hidden there and giving it to her.

"Listen Bones, only for self protection. If you manage to shoot me from behind, I'll kick your ass."  
Brennan took the gun, looking thrilled. All the nagging finally paid off. She had no intention of ever giving him back that little toy.

On the outside, they could hear sirens coming closer.

Suddenly, the situation got out of control. Somebody rushed down the stairs, through the living room and jumped through the back door. Booth ran after him. Brennan tried to follow, but he wouldn't let her.

"No Bones, you stay. Wait for the police. Check upstairs." He speeded away. Brennan went up the stairs carefully pointing her gun in front of her. In the first room, she found a woman and two children. They were obviously unarmed and scared to death. The children were crying. Finally, the police arrived. Brennan ran down the stairs.

"Somebody escaped. Booth went after him. There's a family upstairs, but they don't look dangerous." She was already running towards the back door. "Leave them. We have to help Booth."

She raced through the back yard into the alley behind. She could make out some footsteps in the dust that lead her to turn right. Three cops followed her closely, as she ran through the alley, desperately looking for her partner. She was breathing heavily.

At the end of the alley, they arrived at an abandoned building, which, at some time, probably had been a small factory. Brennan had already passed it, when she heard two shots coming from the inside.

She turned around in shock and tried to run inside. Before she could enter, she was caught by one of the cops.

He grabbed her shoulder. "Careful. You can't just run in there! You don't even know what's inside."

She pulled herself away from his grip. First, she wanted to yell at him, but she quickly realized he was right. She ganged up with the three cops. They shielded her as they slowly went inside.

What had looked like a three story building from the outside, actually was a large hall on the inside. There was an open second floor, like a metal balcony that was going all around the walls and could be reached through some metal stairs on their left. She could hear footsteps above her head. The group ducked behind some cardboard boxes. It was hard to see something, as it was already starting to get dark outside, and the dirt-stained windows hardly let through the little light there was left.

Brennan felt her heart beating in her chest.  
There was another gunshot.

"Booth?" she yelled.

"Bones! Stay down there." She heard his voice with relief. He was ok. She moved one of the cardboard boxes so she could look up to the balustrade. Her eyes were getting used to the dim light. She could see Booth, he was up there, slowly moving with his gun at the ready.

Suddenly, she saw a shadow crawling up behind him.

"Booth! Get down!"

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion from there.

She could see Booth, turning around, firing off his gun.  
He wasn't fast enough. The man in the shadow had already aimed too well.

Brennan saw sparks flying as another gunshot pierced the air. Booth grabbed his chest, obviously hit. The cops fired at Booths opponent who had taken shelter behind a wall. He shot again in Booths direction. The agent dropped his gun while he tried to maintain balance.

Brennan could hear herself scream. She tried to reach the stairs, wanting to pull him back from the railing, but she was too late. Booth desperately tried to find something to hold on to. His shirt was stained with blood. He stumbled towards the edge.

Then he fell. 

**Whoa! Is this the end? How will Brennan deal with what happened? Who was the shooter, anyway? **

**Stay tuned for another chapter. I'll update as soon as possible!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** **Obviously, I still don't own them. What a pity, really. **

**Helloooo everybody! Nice to be back. Thanks a lot to everyone who has reviewed!**

**I almost can't believe it took me over a week to update, and I'm sorry – but you know how life is. Work, family... it can be quite stressful at times! But enough with the talking, let's move on with my little story.**

Temperance Brennan had not said one single word since she had arrived at the hospital. She was sitting in the waiting room in an almost catatonic state. She didn't move, didn't cry, though traces of tears were still visible on her cheeks.

She could still hear her own screams in her head and the footsteps of the policemen as they were trying to follow the shooter. They didn't catch him - somehow the man had managed to vanish from the crime scene. She could still see Booth lying on the ground, covered in blood. She had clutched his hand until the paramedics pulled her away, still she had insisted to ride with him on the ambulance, and nobody had dared to protest when seeing the painful look on her face.

Somebody had informed the FBI, as Cullen was already waiting when they arrived at the emergency room. He had called at the lab, and the squints had rushed to the hospital as fast as they could.

Angela sat right beside Brennan and just held her, realising it was no use to try to make her talk. She had offered her some water, but the anthropologist didn't drink a single sip.

Deputy Director Cullen paced the waiting room like an animal in a cage. At times he was joined by Hodgins, who also just couldn't sit still and kept jumping up from his chair to look down the corridor.

Zach sat beside Angela with a troubled look on his face. He was clearly unable to cope with the situation, as there was no logical explanation whatsoever for what had happened.

They waited for about half an hour until a doctor entered the room with a serious look on his face. "My name is Dr. Sam Fulton. Are you the family of Agent Seely Booth?"

Brennan looked up, still not saying a word. Cullen turned around.

"I'm Deputy Director Cullen, FBI, Agent Booth's boss, and these are his partners. We weren't able to reach his parents or any other immediate family so far. How is he, Doctor?"

The doctor looked at his chart.

"I will be honest with you. Agent Booth has sustained some very serious injuries and we have been working very hard to keep him alive. Apart from the gunshot wound he has several broken bones, and a head injury that we will have to monitor closely. We managed to stabilize him and he is in surgery right now, but his condition is still very critical."

Cullen did his best to act calm and collected. "I know he is in the best of hands here. We will all stay here in case there is any news."

Dr. Fulton nodded. "I am very sorry, I wish I could give you better news, but all we can do right now is wait. I'll inform you straight away when the surgery is over."

Hodgins took Angela's hand. Tears wear running down her cheek. She rested her head on Brennan's shoulder, while Brennan still sat there with an empty look in her eyes.

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Time passed slowly in the next hours. Too slowly. Zach and Angela had finally fallen asleep, lying uncomfortably across some chairs. Cullen had left the waiting room to call Booth's parents again, who apparently were on vacation somewhere in the Caribbean and couldn't easily be reached. Hodgins was staring out of the window, watching the sunrise and rubbing his eyes every once in a while. Finally he sat back down next to Brennan, resting his head in his hand.

"You really should try to rest a little, Dr. Brennan."

She shook her head.

He sighed. "Dr. Brennan, we are all really concerned. We are worried sick about Booth, but we are also worried about you. You had to watch all that happened to him. Clearly, you still are in a state of shock, which is not surprising. You haven't said a word since we got here."

She looked down on the floor.

He put a hand on her knee. "We're all scared. It might be easier on you if you let it out. We're here to support you. It won't help Booth if you let yourself dehydrate or starve. "

He saw her eyes getting wet. Finally, a single tear slowly ran down her cheek. She looked at him.

"I can't lose him." She sounded desperate.

He nodded. "I know."

They both sat in silence. After a while, he gave her another cup of water. This time, she finally drank it.

After a while, Cullen came back. He looked exhausted.

"I finally reached Booth's parents. They will take the next possible flight."

Again, he started to nervously walk around.

They continued to wait.

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It seemed like forever until Dr. Fulton finally returned. Everyone stood up and looked at him anxiously. Brennan got scared when she saw the concerned expression on the doctors face.

"Is he..." she whispered.

The doctor put his hand on her arm. "He is alive and out of surgery," he said, "he was brought to the ICU. It was a bumpy ride, but he made it through."

They all sighed with relieve. Hodgins took Angela in his arms.

Cullen drew a deep breath. "So he is going to be ok?"

Dr. Fulton hesitated. "We are doing all we can." he finally said. "We were able to get the internal bleeding under control, which was our biggest challenge, so that is a good sign. We are still worried about his head injury. Luckily, we didn't detect any cerebral hemorrhage, but still, as there is some swelling to his brain, we have to keep an eye on that. We have to wait and see what the next couple of days will bring. He needs time to recover. Physically and, even more, emotionally, I suppose."

Brennan cleared her throat. "Is he awake yet?" she asked.

The doctor shook his head. "He is still sedated, and we intend to keep it that way for a while to help him recover. Still, it might be good for him to have somebody at his side. So if one of you would want to sit with him, that is fine with me."

"I'll go." Brennan said determined before Cullen or the others could speak. She couldn't stand the thought of Booth being alone at this moment.

Angela looked at her. "You think you can handle this? You look so worn out, Sweetie. You've been through a lot today."

Cullen agreed with her, but they both couldn't change her mind. Brennan insisted that the others should leave though in order to get some sleep.

Angela gave her a hug. "Call me if you need anything, Bren. Promise me that. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

While Brennan was following the doctor to Booth's room in the ICU, thoughts were spinning around in her head. She was afraid. The pictures of the warehouse came back to her and made her shudder.

They finally arrived at Booths room, which was located at the end of a long corridor. It had a glass front, and Brennan could see Booth lying in his hospital bed. He was hooked up to machines, monitors and IVs. His left leg seemed to be elevated under the blanket and his left arm was strapped across his heavily bandaged chest. He obviously could breathe by himself, yet he was still getting oxygen through a tube under his nose. Brennan swallowed hard. Dr. Fulton put his hand on her shoulder.

"I know this is hard to watch," he said, "but keep in mind that everything you see is there to help him get better."

He opened the door for her and let her in. Brennan sat down in a chair next to the bed. She carefully touched the back of Booths hand. His face didn't move a muscle. Brennan stared at him with a blank expression. "I almost lost you," she thought. She felt the tears coming again, though she eagerly tried to avoid them.

Every once in a while, a nurse came to check Booths vitals. It was an elder woman with a warm smile. She brought Brennan a blanket, which she thankfully took and cuddled into. She felt exhausted, even though she had told Angela and the others she was doing ok. She tried hard to keep her eyes open, but after another hour, her head sank to her chest and she fell asleep.

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A couple of hours later, Angela entered the Jeffersonian, only to find that Hodgins and Zach were already there. She gave them a surprised look.

"I thought you guys were going to get some sleep after you dropped me of. How long have you been back here?"

Hodgins smiled at her sheepishly. "Couple of minutes, I guess." She could tell he was lying. They probably had spent every minute trying to come up with some new evidence.

Angela glanced at the papers on Hodgins desk. "Is that a copy of the file? The one of Isabel Diaz? How'd you get that?"

Hodgins patted on Zach's shoulder. "Genius boy here and I pulled it from the computer in Brennan's office. I figured she wouldn't mind, as it is for a good cause."

Angela nodded approvingly. "Way to go. I see, we all have the same thought on our mind."  
All three looked at each other.

"Let's find that bastard!" they all said at the same time. 

**Whoa, that was a pretty hard chapter to write and even after reading and correcting it several times, I'm still not quite content. I hope you still like it. I'm not quite sure where I'm heading with this, so constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome!  
Chocolate cookies for everyone who reviews! ;o) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:****It all belongs to Fox. Aren't those guys lucky?**

**Hi folks! Welcome back. Thanks for your sweet reviews and your support! I promise I'll be working on my spelling. And I hope you like this next chapter! Oh, by the way: I wasn't sure about the names of Booth's parents – did they ever mention those on the series? I think in one of the other fics it said Laura and Michael, so that's what I stuck with – but please, correct me if I'm mistaken!**

Brennan woke up startled from the sound of a closing door. She looked around, not quite realizing where she was. When she saw Booth, lying in his bed, still sleeping and still looking so pale and fragile, it all came back to her – and she felt her chest tightening.

"Hey, sweetie. How are you guys holding up?"

Brennan turned around when she heard that familiar voice. It was Angela, who had just entered the room.

"Ange. I...I must have fallen asleep...I.."

"Shhh...it's OK. Don't worry. Believe me, I'd have put you to sleep with my bare hands had I found you here still awake." She smiled.

Brennan stretched her arms, trying to bring her numb body back to life. She looked back to Booth again. Angela stood beside her, putting her hand on Brennan's shoulder.

"I spoke to the doctor before coming in here."

Brennan shot her an anxious glance. "What did he say? He still looks so...weak."

Angela nodded. "Yeah, he does. The doctor is pretty content though. Booth was stable throughout the night. He checked on him a couple of times, but didn't want to wake you." She pulled the second chair over and took a seat. "He said that, apart from the gunshot wound, he suffered a couple of broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a partially fractured hip. Also, his knee is in a pretty bad shape, at least from what I understood from all this medical mumbo-jumbo. Doesn't sound too good, but you're more of an expert on that, I guess."

Brennan sighed. "I don't know, Ange. I don't think I know anything right now. I feel so empty inside."

Angela put an arm around her. "You need to go home, Bren. Take a shower. Eat. "

"I can't."

"You have to. I'll make you. I'm not gonna let you ruin your own health. Please. You'll be back in no time, and you know the doctor said that Booth is not gonna wake up for a while."

"But he'll be all alone."

"There are lots of people taking care of him here. Come on, I'll drive. Quick shower, some lunch. Two hours and you're back here, I promise."

"All right. Two hours."

They both got up. Brennan stroke Booth's hand once more, then she followed Angela out of the room.

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Jack and Zach sat their desk at the lab, staring at the file.

"So..." Zach mumbled.

"So what?" Jack mumbled back.

They both were tired, worn out, just totally exhausted.

Despite this condition, Zach still managed to think clearly enough to state some facts.

"Well, we do have the file. And we do know where to look for the guy who shot Booth, and for this Isabel-woman."

"Yep."

"But we're...you know...well..." He paused.

Jack grew impatient. "We're what, Zach. Speak up, before my head hits the table."

"We're squints. We don't have guns. And, anthropologically speaking, I don't think our stature and muscle tonus alone would enable us to impress some criminal, even if we do find him."

Jack sighed. "We'd end up right next to Booth, wouldn't we. If not worse."

Zach nodded.

They both stared in the air. Suddenly, Zach jumped up, scaring Jack so much he almost fell from his chair. "Oh, for Christ sake, don't move so fast!"

Zach ignored him. "I know someone who has a gun. And he is someone who would probably help us, as he is a great admirer of Dr. Brennans work."

Jack thought for a second. Then he got it.

"You mean..."

Zach nodded. "Agent Sullivan."

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Brennan was still in the shower, while Angela dug in her fridge to fix something to eat for her. Suddenly, her cell phone rang – and listening to the "La cucaracha"-ring tone, she immediately knew who it was.

"Hi Jack...yes, we're at her apartment. ... Well, Booth is not awake yet, but his condition is not life-threatening anymore. ... Bren? No, she is not listening, she is in the shower. ... What? WHAT? You must be joking. ... Ok, so you're not joking, I get it. ... Jack, please. I admit, he probably is the right guy to help us, but they just split up a couple of weeks ago – I just don't know if we should really ask him. ... Oh, so you saying "we" actually was more of an "you", as in "you, Angela". ... Hmmh? Yeah, of course I still have his cell phone number."

She sighed heavily.

"OK, I'm in. I'll call him. But I have to do it quickly, before Brennan comes in here. I'll get her back to the hospital and we meet at the lab after that, all right? Good. ... Sorry? ...Yes, I do. I do still like you, Jack. ... Yes, I also like Zach, but more in a platonic way. You guys definitely need to sleep. Right now. Bye Jack." She put down the phone, only to sigh once more. Then she poked her head in direction of the bathroom. She heard the hair-dryer – good thing, Brennan was still busy. She quickly checked for Sully's number in her phone's address book and established a connection.

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About an hour later, Brennan was back at Booth's bedside. Under normal circumstances she probably would have wondered why Angela had left for the lab so quickly, but she was still so worried about Booth that it didn't even occur to her.

She felt a little better after showering and had even eaten a little bit – thanks to Angela, who wouldn't let her go with an empty stomach.

So she was back in that same uncomfortable hospital chair, holding Booth's hand without even really noticing it. Dr. Fulton was in the room with her, checking the IV's and monitors.

Brennan nervously watched every move he made. "So, how is he doing, Doctor?"

Dr. Fulton checked Booth's heart rate. "Actually, he is doing quite well, considering his injuries. He's a fighter. Other people with that severe trauma to their bodies wouldn't have made it."

He looked at Booth's medical chart. "Recovery will take its time. We will have to see how he is doing when he's awake. I think we might be able to reduce the amount of sedatives we are giving him, so he might wake up later this afternoon." He smiled at her reassuringly before he left the room again.

Brennan felt relieved, yet still scared, knowing that the hard part was still to come. Her mind started wandering off, and she didn't know how much time had passed when she heard a knock on the door.

She looked up, and her eyes met those of an elder woman entering the room, followed by a man about the same age.

Brennan got up, knowing that the couple probably was Booth's parents.

"You must be Mr. and Mrs. Booth – hi, my name is Temperance Brennan. I am your son's...partner." She offered her hand, but the woman had already pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Hi, sweetie," she said, sounding a lot like Angela. "I'm Laura Booth. We couldn't make it any sooner. We are so glad you took care of him – it's so sad we have to meet under these circumstances." Brennan nodded. The woman moved over to Booth's and gently stroke his face. Booth's father shook Brennan's hand.

"Michael Booth. Seeley told us a lot about you. We were so shocked to hear what happened." He joined his wife and put his arm around her. Laura had tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh Michael, look at him. My poor boy." She sobbed quietly. Michael held her tight, allowing her to cry on his shoulder.

Temperance Brennan immediately liked Booth's parents. Such sweet, warm people. No wonder Booth grew up to be a good guy.

She cleared her throat. "Do you want to be alone with him? I mean, I could leave if you like..."

Laura shook her head in a determined manner. "Oh darling, of course not. I bet Seeley would want you to be here. Michael, would you ask the nurse for a third chair?"

He nodded and left the room, and after a short while returned with another chair. They all sat down at Booth's bedside.

Laura held Booth's hand. She looked gently at Brennan.

"We spoke to the doctor outside. He said that Seeley might be waking up pretty soon."

Brennan nodded. "Yes. I was very relieved to hear that."

"So...you were there when...when it happened?"

Brennan nodded again. She hesitated. "I was, but...I wasn't close enough to pull him back... I... I just couldn't..." Her eyes filled with tears. "I was his partner, and I let him down. I'm so sorry."

Mrs. Booth took her hand. "Darling, don't blame yourself. It's not your fault at all. I know Seeley, he probably told you to get out of the way, so you wouldn't get hurt. Nobody could do anything. Let's be happy that he is still with us."

Michael Booth nodded at her words.

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Back at the lab, Angela was in an active discussion with Jack, while Zach was sleeping like a baby with his head on his desk.

"Jack, I'm still not so sure about this. The FBI is doing all they can to catch that bastard who shot Booth. They are not giving us any information – Cullen said it's to personal and we would be too involved. If they find out that we asked Sully..."

"Angela. We are supposed to keep our hands away from that case, you know it and I know it, too. But I also know that nobody here will be able to just watch those inquiries from the outside. Dr. Brennan won't be able to help us, as I don't think we can pull her away from the hospital, but we owe it to her and Booth to do what they would also do for us. Please."

Angela bit her lip. She knew he was right. Had it been her or Zach or Jack who had gotten hurt – Booth and Brennan would have done all they could to solve the case.

Before she could answer, she heard the lab door opening. When she looked up, she saw Agent Tim Sullivan coming in. He gave them a shy smile.

"Hi guys. You called me."

Angela nodded. "Thanks for coming."

"Hey, no big deal. Just don't let Cullen know that I'm here." He patted Zach on the back, causing him to wake up with a small scream. "Oh, I'm sorry, Zach."

He looked back at Angela. "I'm sorry about what happened to Booth. I hope he's gonna be ok. I would check on him myself, but I guess... she is with him, right? I don't think she wants to see me right now." He looked sad.

Jack scratched his head. "Dr. Brennan is having a very hard time. Booth is pretty badly injured, and she won't leave his side. I don't think she is mad at you, but it's probably not a good idea to confront her with the fact that we are asking you for help."

Sully decided to change the subject. "So what can I do for you?"

Angela pointed at a pile of papers. "You know about the case. We think the key to it all is this woman called Isabel. She might know our victim, and she probably knows where the guy who shot Booth is. We just have to find her."

Sully picked up a piece of paper from the top of the pile. "Well, we are looking for Isabel. And for this guy who works with that trading company. But no luck so far. The family who lives in the house which Brennan and Booth searched won't say a word. Even if we find Isabel, who knows if she will spill the beans?"

Angela smiled at him. "She might. We could fix you a little something that might make up her mind." She looked over to the lab table, on which the remains of the body from the airport where still lying. "Zach cleaned the bones, and now we will put on some tissue markers. And then it's time for a little facial reconstruction – let's see if Isabel knows who the poor lad from South America was!"

She walked over to Sully. "I'll call you when I have a face. Or news about Booth's condition. Or... about Brennan." She squeezed his hand. He looked at her thankfully and nodded, before he turned around and left the lab.

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It had been almost three hours since Mr. and Mrs. Booth had arrived at the hospital. They were still sitting in Booth's room together with Bones. They had took turns to go to the hospital's cafeteria to have some coffee and a bite to eat, but none of them had the patience to be gone for more than a couple of minutes.

Booth still wasn't awake. They had spoken to him, thinking it might help him to come around, but so far he had not shown any reaction.

Laura Booth stroke the back of his hand, carefully avoiding the IV.

"You know, he looks so peaceful. A mother always wants to protect her child. I wish I could take his pain away." She sighed. "I wish he had a nice job in an office somewhere, where he's not in danger all the time."

Michael smiled, though it was a sad smile. "Come on Laura, you know that's not him. You knew it when he was in the army, and you know it now. He always wanted to make things right and protect innocent people. It's in his nature."

He looked over to Brennan. "When he was in the Middle East, he came back in a wheelchair because they had tortured him until both his feet were broken. Still, he was convinced he did the right thing, and after a couple of weeks he went back to business. Didn't go back to the army, but joined the FBI instead."

Brennan thought of the time when she had looked at Booth's x-rays after he had been blown up in her apartment. Indications of fractures on the feet from beating the soles with pipes or hoses. A common method of torture. They had never spoken about that afterwards.

She watched Booth, while she listened to the beeping sound of the heart monitor.

Suddenly she held her breath. Did his eyelids just twitch?

Brennan got up to get a closer look. Yes, there was obviously some movement in his face.

"Mr. and Mrs. Booth? Look, I think he is waking up. Booth? Can you hear me? It's me, Bones."

"Seeley? It's Mom and Dad. Please, Seeley. Open your eyes, will you?"

**There we go – he's coming around. And cliffie-alarm again. Ain't I mean.**

**So, as you can see, in my version of events Sully never left for the Caribbean, but is still working with the FBI. I had this all planned, and I didn't want to change the plot after last episode, so I'm keeping him for now and maybe send him of with his little boat later!**

**Now it's your turn. Please, make my day worthwhile and review this chapter! Thanks a lot!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Don't own them. Would like to. Too bad.**

**I am so terribly sorry that it took me so long to update. I haven't had a lot of time on my hands lately. I hope you guys forgive me and keep reading!**

**Thanks so much to all the reviewers. You people are wonderful, really. I am so happy about all the nice things you have written!**

**Here is the next chapter. Have fun!**

Booth felt like being stuck in a tunnel. All was dark around him. He could hear people speak, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. His head was spinning, and he felt an almost unbearable pain in his whole body. Where was he? Booth couldn't think clearly. Slowly, the noises around him started to become clearer. There was this beeping sound right next to him, kind of confusing. He wanted to open his eyes, but his eyelids just wouldn't obey. Then there was this voice again, and it sounded so familiar.

"...Please, Seeley. Open your eyes, will you?"

Finally, he pulled his eyes open. His vision was blurry, only slowly clearing up.

Booth slowly realized where the beeping sound came from, and he started to understand where he was. Then he saw the three people standing at his bedside.

Mom. Dad. Bones. All with tears in their eyes.

"Mom... Don't cry...mom..." His voice sounded hoarse. His throat felt so dry.

Laura Booth couldn't help but sob. "Seeley, Darling. I'm so glad you're awake."

Booth tried to look around, but every time he tried to move his head he felt like being hit by a truck. "Bones... are you... alright?" he whispered.

Brennan nodded and wiped a tear from her eye. "Sure. I'm OK." She gently stroke his arm. "You really scared us. How are you feeling?"

"Sore... I feel like... like somebody cut me open...with a chainsaw..." He coughed, which caused him to wince in pain. "And...I'm...thirsty."

Brennan grabbed a plastic cup from the bedside table and carefully helped him drink little sips of water. "Thanks... Bones."

He looked at his parents.

"If they made you guys come here... I'm...I'm probably not doing so well...am I."

His mother squeezed his hand carefully. "You're gonna be OK, Seeley. You just need time to recover." She smiled through her tears.

"You have to rest," his father agreed.

Booth tried to move his arm in an attempt to wipe the tears from his mothers face, but he just couldn't lift it.

Brennan swallowed hard. "Don't move too much. You're in pain, I'm gonna get the doctor to give you something for that."

"I feel like...crap," Booth admitted. His voice sounded so weak. Brennan almost couldn't believe this was the same man she used to have some pretty loud arguments with. Booth could hardly keep his eyes open. "So tired..." he muttered. He closed his eyes, wishing the pain would just go away.

Brennan left the room to get Dr. Fulton. Laura and Michael Booth stayed with Booth, holding his hand and gently talking to him while he fell back asleep.

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Angela Montenegro stared at her sketchpad, then at the skull on the table in front of her. She yawned. It had taken her quite some time to finish her drawing of the victim's face. She really wanted to get it right this time. This was personal, and they needed it to be as accurate as possible.

She took her pencil and corrected another few lines here and there.

She looked up when Jack entered the room.

"Hi Jack. I'm almost done, see?" She turned the sketch around.

Jack looked into the face of a young man with Hispanic features. He had a friendly face and interesting dark eyes.

"You think that's him? He looks like a nice guy. I like the eyes."

Angela shrugged. "You know how it is. I have to imagine which eyes would match his features. A skull tells me a lot about what his face looks like, but it doesn't say anything much about the eyes."

Jack put his arms around her from behind. "You're doing a great job." He smiled at her. "Oh, and buy the way, Brennan called from the hospital. Booth woke up a little while ago. She said he was pretty off, probably from all the medication he's getting, but the doctor's optimistic."

Angela was relieved. "That's good news. How's Bren coping?"

"Oh, you won't believe this. She met Booth's parents, who are also there now. Seems like she loves those people."

Angela chuckled. "Isn't that great. Probably his mom is this sweet little lady, taking care of everything and everyone, including her son's partner. I can almost see it. If you ask me, it's exactly what Brennan needs right now."

She handed the sketchpad over to Jack. "I'm gonna call Sully. Maybe he can meet me downtown tomorrow and we check out the neighbourhood together."

Hodgins frowned. "You wanna go with him? Do you think that's a good idea? I don't want anything to happen to you, baby."

"Jack, I thought about all this, and you were right. Sully can help us to help Bren and Booth. And we'll be careful. I just think, if we find her – you know, Isabel -, maybe she would more likely talk to a woman than a man. And...I'm very convincing sometimes."  
She kissed her boyfriend on the forehead. "But then again, you probably knew that already."

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The next morning, Brennan sat at Booth's bed again. She had returned after getting a little bit of sleep and a shower at her apartment, while his parents had stayed with him, and now they had gone to their hotel in order to rest. They all had decided it would be best to take turns, so Booth wouldn't wake up being alone. He hadn't really been awake since the last afternoon, he had more or less dozed the hole time.

Suddenly, she heard a hesitant knocking on the door.

"Yes, come in."

She was pretty surprised to see Jack enter the room. He nervously went through his curls with his fingers, while greeting Brennan and looking at the still sleeping Booth.

"I thought I drop by to see how he...how you both are doing. So, he is still asleep?"

Brennan nodded. "It's the painkillers, they make him drowsy."

Jack took a seat next to her. "And you? How are you?"

She shrugged. "Fine, I guess. You guys need me at the lab? Because, you know, I don't think I can handle work right now. I feel like I should rather be here."

"The lab's not important now, Dr. Brennan. There's no urgent case. Zach will be able to manage things on his own."

"Where is Angela?"

"Oh, she is... she had an appointment. She'll be here later today. Wants me to say Hi."

They sat together, remaining silent for a while, until Hodgins finally spoke up.

"Is there anything we can do for you, Dr. Brennan?"

Brennan shook her head. "You're already doing it. You are there for me. You've all been a tremendous help."

Suddenly, Booth moved in his sleep and after a while, his eyelids were twitching. He slowly opened his eyes.

Brennan took his hand. "Hi Booth."

"Hi, Bones. Hodgins." His voice was still weak.

Jack smiled at him. "Hey, Booth. Good to see you. How are you doing, my man?"

Booth made an attempt to smile back. "Just peachy. Bones is the nicest little nurse. I bet I'll be out of here in no time." Both men chuckled, but suddenly Booth winced in pain.

Brennan looked concerned. "Despite _not _being your nurse, Booth, I still care about your health. Need me to get Dr. Fulton?"

Booth slightly shook his head. "No, it's OK. Just a little twinge in my chest when I'm laughing." He looked around, his eyes meeting all the wires, tubes and monitors. "All this stuff looks hardcore."

"Well," Brennan said. "Let's just say that this time, it was a pretty close call."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

Suddenly, Jack got up. "You know, guys, I should head back to the lab. I promised Angela I would meet her there." Well, that was true – at least more or less. Not mentioning all the details wasn't quite the same as lying, was it. "Take care, Booth. We all wish you a speedy recovery. Angela and Zach will drop by soon."

"Thanks, Hodgins," Booth answered. "Tell them I said Hi."

Jack nodded. "Will do. Bye, guys."

Brennan smiled. "Bye, Jack." He left, leaving Brennan and Booth side by side, none of each really knowing what to say.

Finally Booth looked over to Brennan and tried to reach for her hand. "Bones."

She looked straight into his brown eyes. "You know how I always told you not to call me that? I think I changed my mind. Right now, I'm really glad to hear you say it."

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Angela had agreed to meet Sully in a downtown coffee shop. When she arrived, he was sitting on the counter, resting his head in his hands, staring into a large cup of coffee.

She shook her head in disbelief.

"What's it with you FBI-guys. If I didn't know better, I'd say you're the lonesome cowboy who is staring into a glass of whisky."

He gave her a puzzled look, but then tried to sit up straight. "Hi, Angela. I'm sorry, I had a rough night. I'm feeling a bit tired. How is Booth doing?"

She sat down on the stool next to him.

"Oh, he's doing better. He woke up last afternoon. Still hurts a lot, I guess, but you know him, he's tough."

Sully nodded. "Yeah, he is. Thank god. I was really worried."

Angela smiled at the waitress, ordering a double latte. Then she turned back to Sully. "I brought you my sketch of the victim. Could have sent it by email, but then again, I thought I give it to you personally. Maybe I can help you."

"What do you mean, help?"

"You know, I just wanna do something to catch the guy who did this to Booth. I thought maybe you would take me with you when you go looking for him?" She gave him the puppy-eyes-look.

"Whoa, Angela. Don't give me that look. No can do, Cullen will kill me when he finds out that I put any of you in danger by taking you with me. No way."

She sighed. "Sully, please. We all feel so helpless. We need to actually do something."

He took another sip of his coffee. "Angela, no. No field work right now, not after what happened to Booth and not as long as the shooter is still out there. But I tell you what – I let you know when I find her, OK? Maybe I can arrange it that you can show her the sketch yourself. I'll tell Cullen we need you to correct the sketch according to what this woman tells you. OK?" He raised is eyebrows.

Angela gave in. She felt defeated. He was right, it could be dangerous, and she knew that neither Jack, nor Brennan or Booth would want that. "OK. But promise me you'll call me if there is any news."

Sully nodded. "I will. It might take a while, though. We still don't know where she could be hiding. Maybe someone is forcing her to keep quiet. But don't worry, we'll find her."

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Meanwhile, in another part of town, a young woman was lying on a mattress, crying. She could feel the tears burning on her cheeks. She didn't know what was going on - Julio had been acting strange for the last couple of days. They had left their home, without any explanation. He had taken her to an abandoned shed, forcing her to stay inside all the time. Every time she had dared to ask him what was going on, he had been violent – the bruises on her body were all too visible by now. She wished Jose was there at least. He could always calm Julio down, but she hadn't seen him since they were hiding in this dirt hole.

Her thoughts were spinning in her mind and she just didn't know what to do.

Marrying him had been a big mistake all along. She shouldn't have believed Jose, who had told her that that arrangement was her only chance to stay. Maybe going back to El Salvador wouldn't have been so bad after all.

**OK, we're moving slowly – but still, we're headed in the right direction. I hope you liked this chapter! But how will I ever find out if you don't review? So please, push the little button! Thanks, guys!!! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: They still belong to FOX, but I thought it was OK to borrow them for a little fic.**

**Hi and welcome back everybody! This is the 9th chapter already. I never would have thought I'd make it that far, but writing this is still a lot of fun, and your reviews are really motivating me to continue! Thanks, everybody!**

Angela had been impatiently waiting for a call from Sully for three days, but to her dismay, she didn't hear anything from him.

She was very frustrated. There had not been much to do at the lab. They had been trying to I.D. some bodies which had been stored in the limbo, but neither Zach nor Jack or Angela could really concentrate on anything else than the case that had put Booth in the hospital.

Brennan had not stopped by at the Jeffersonian since the incident, which was completely against her nature. Usually she didn't even go on vacation unless she was forced to do so. But right now, she spent her time at Booth's bedside, only interrupted from short trips to her apartment to catch some sleep.

She had taken her laptop to the hospital, so she could work on her newest book while Booth slept – which he still did a lot, due to his concussion and the strong painkillers he was still on. It seemed her life revolved around him right now.

Angela didn't make an attempt to make Brennan leave Booth's bedside. For one thing, Booth's parents' company really did her well – she could talk to them for hours, like they had always known each other, and Angela felt that she was really opening up. For another thing – she always knew that Brennan and Booth were meant for each other, so if the whole thing was going to bring them closer together, then be it. She had been waiting for month to see it happen. Even when Bren and Sully where still dating it never quite slipped her mind.

Jack watched his girlfriend, who was obviously lost in her thoughts. The two of them were sitting next to each other on one of the examination tables in the lab, their legs dangling in the air.

"A penny for your thoughts." Jack offered.

Angela was startled.  
"Oh, I was just... you know, I was thinking about Booth and Brennan. Heck, have I ever thought about anyone else in the last couple of days? It's like, we all kind of knew that they should be together, right? And now he almost got himself killed, without them ever admitting their feelings for each other."

Jack moved closer to her.  
"Doesn't that remind you of someone? I mean, you weren't exactly racing into this relationship with me either, were you, baby? But eventually, it worked out, and it will also work out for them, believe me."  
He tenderly kissed her cheek.

She smiled, leaning over to him and putting her head into his lap.  
"I hope you are right. I feel kind of sorry for Sully. But I guess even he knows that it's just meant to be."

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Agent Tim Sullivan sat at his desk, staring at some papers lying in front of him. There had to be something he missed. A clue of some sort. Three people couldn't just vanish like that. He wished he had anything to tell Angela, but what was the use calling her when there really wasn't any news?

He sighed, thinking of Brennan and Booth. He was sad that he hadn't been able to pay Booth a visit yet, but he still thought it would be better not to meet Brennan right now. Maybe the "love"-thing was over, but he still liked her way to much to risk hurting her feelings by showing up at the hospital.

Suddenly his phone rang.

"Sullivan. ... Yes, Sir. ... What? ... And you think it has to do with our case? ... Oh, I see. OK, I'll get there as soon as I can. ... Yes. Bye, Sir."

As soon as he had put down the phone, he grabbed his jacket and rushed out of the door.

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Later that afternoon, Angela, Zach and Jack entered Booth's hospital room.

Booth had been moved from the ICU to a normal room, and most of the machines and tubes had been removed removed. He looked a lot better than the last time she had seen him. His bedside table spotted several get well cards as well as a bunch of flowers.

His parents and Brennan were sitting right next to his bed.

Angela leaned over him to give him a careful hug.  
"Hi Booth. How's my favorite FBI Agent?"

Booth raised one eyebrow.  
"Hi, Ange. Well, last time I checked, he was doing pretty good. He would rather not be trapped in here, though." he said.

Jack and Zach said Hi to Bones and Booth's parents.

Laura Booth got up from her chair, offering it to Angela.  
"Why don't you sit down, dear. I'll take my husband for a cup of coffee in the cafeteria." She looked at Booth's father. "Come on, Michael. Let's give him and his friend's some space."  
Michael Booth nodded. Laura squeezed Booth's hand once more, before leaving the room.

Zach looked at the door.  
"They seem really nice. They remind me of my own parents."

Booth nodded. "Yeah, they are great people." He tried to sit up a little bit more in his bed.  
Brennan helped him by adjusting his pillow.

Booth pointed to the free chairs on the side.  
"Take a seat. Man, it's so good to see you guys. Even you, Zach," he joked.

Zach smiled shyly. "It's good to see you, too, Agent Booth. You look better today."

"Yes, and I feel better, too."

Brennan leaned over to Angela and whispered in her ear. "Good enough to complain about the food in here." Angela chuckled.

Booth pretended to be hurt. "Hey, don't you make fun of me. I'm still sick."

They both laughed.

Angela looked at the flowers and cards on his bedside table. "Looks like a lot of people wish you well."

Booth smiled. "Everybody has been very nice." He looked over to the flowers. "Even Rebecca came. She didn't bring Parker, because she wasn't sure if I was up to a playful four year old, but he made me a card, see?" He pointed over to one of the cards. "He might come and visit me tomorrow."

Angela picked up the colorful card which said "Get well, Daddy!" in an adult writing and "Love, Parker" in big, childish letters.

"It's beautiful. He's quite an artist, I'd say."  
She carefully put the card back in its place.

Booth looked proud. "Yeah, he really is. I love my little guy. I can't stand the thought that I almost...you know..." His smile suddenly faded, as the thoughts of Parker came back to his head. He almost wouldn't have seen his son grow up. It was still haunting him.

Brennan kind of knew what came to his mind and quickly changed the subject. "So, anything new at the lab? I feel a little out of touch with the Jeffersonian right now."

Angela turned her head to Zach and Jack, who both quickly looked down on the floor as if having spotted something really interesting down there.

It wasn't hard for Booth to understand that their hesitation had something to do with him.

"Come on guys. If this is about the case, then speak up. I haven't talked to Cullen today, so I don't know the newest facts – but don't you think you should tell me what you know? After all, this is about the guy who tried to kill me."

Angela sighed. "I wasn't gonna bring it up. I don't want to upset you by reminding you of the incident."

"Don't worry. Believe me, being here constantly reminds me of what happened, and I want that guy to be found. Please, Angela."

Finally Jack spoke up. "OK, Booth. This morning, we got a call from S..." He felt Angela stepping on his toes. "...from this FBI-Agent, I forgot his name. They found another body, pretty close to the building where you got hurt. It has been identified as Jose Dias."

Booth was shocked. "The accountant from that trading company? Somebody killed him? So he probably wasn't the one who shot me, was he."

Brennan shook her head in disbelief. "Probably not - there must be somebody else."

Zach nodded. "Isabel is still missing, and so is her husband, who, after all, is Jose's brother. You think he could have something to do with his death? It appears logical to me. Though I can't imagine that someone would ever hurt his own brother."

Brennan scratched her head. "What if Jose wanted to help Isabel – you know, by using his job to bring her old boyfriend over from El Salvador?"

Jack frowned. "But it didn't work out – the guy ended up dead in a box, and the FBI started to ask some questions, so Jose thought he'd be better off hiding..."

Angela continued. "...and when Julio comes looking for him, he is surprised by Booth and Brennan, who came to search the house, and then..."

She was interrupted by Booth. "Whoa, hold on guys. You're making my head hurt again. You think this Julio guy was so mad that he first shot me, and then killed his own brother?"

Four pairs of eyes stared at him. Brennan was the first to speak.

"What Booth? You think we are wrong?"

Booth shook his head. "No, absolutely not. I think you might have a point."

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Isabel squat in a corner. She was scared to death.

Julio had been away for two days, locking her into the dirty room that had been there refuge of some kind for the last days. When he returned, he had this frantic look in his eyes. And Then she had spotted the blood stains on his shirt, and she knew right away that something terrible had happened.

He drank a lot after he returned, and finally fell asleep right on the floor.

She sank to her knees, praying. Praying that god would help her to get out of this place.

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Back in Jack's car, the squints where on their way back home.

"I think he really looked a lot better today." Zach said for the third time.

"Yes honey, he did. As I already said." Angela stated. She shot a furious glance at Jack, who was trying to concentrate on the traffic. "I can't believe you almost told them about Sully. Why is it that you guys always talk before you think?"

Jack didn't take his eyes from the street. "Look, I already said, I'm sorry. Nobody noticed, so please stop it, will you? We were still right to involve Sully in this."

Angela leaned back in her seat. "Yes. OK. I admit it."

"You do?"

"Yes. And I hope he finds this guy fast. Because this whole thing is slowly driving me insane. I don't wanna lie to Bren anymore."

In the back of the car, Zach cleared his throat. "But still, Booth really did look better today."

"Yes, Zach. Shut up, Zach."

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Back at the hospital, Brennan and Booth were alone in the room. Booth's parents had left about an hour ago, relieved that their son was obviously recovering well.

Booth had asked Brennan if she wanted to leave as well, knowing she had to be totally exhausted.

"Do you want me to leave? Are you tired?" she asked back.

He shook his head. "No, of course I don't want you to. I enjoy your company. In fact, I don't feel like being alone at all. Makes me think too much. But if you are exhausted, I'd understand. You've been here for me all this time, it must be wearing you out by now."

"Don't worry. I don't need much sleep. I'm fine." She grabbed the remote control. "Hey, wanna watch some TV? Or does it still give you a headache?"

"Let's give it a try." he suggested.

They switched channels for a while, finally finding some old black and white movie. They quietly watched for a while.

"They could easily make a movie about us by now, don't you think?" Booth finally interrupted.

Brennan seemed surprised. "You mean, like some crime thriller, about our cases? Neat idea. I like it." She chuckled.

Booth smiled at her. "Yeah, maybe. And we'd be this odd couple who always finds the killer, but we would never... oh, well, never mind."

Brennan didn't say anything. 'We would never...get together, would we.' she thought.

They watched the movie again for a while.

A couple of minutes later, Booth was the one to speak up again.

"Bones?"

"Yes, Booth?"

"I need to tell you something."

Brennan looked up. This sounded pretty deep.

He continued. "You know what I said about Parker today, right? That it was hard for me to think that I almost couldn't have been there for him anymore?"

"Of course. But you shouldn't think about that so much. You're gonna be OK, and you will be able to be there for him whenever he needs you."

"But you know what, Bones? I wasn't only thinking about Parker when I said that. I also thought about...about..." He paused.

She understood. She knew what he was going to say. She looked down on their hands, who had mysteriously found a way to hold each other while they were talking.

"You thought about...me." she whispered. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Yes. I thought about how I'd never hear you say 'I don't know what that means' again, and how I would never be able to tell you...how much I enjoy you being around me." he admitted.

A single tear made its way down her cheek. Booth softly pulled her over to the bed as much as he could, and she put her head next to his on the pillow. He could feel her hair tickling his shoulder. It felt so good, he never ever wanted to let go of her.

"Booth?" she whispered. "I don't want to be the odd couple who never gets together. I want to make it right."

Her body was slightly shaking. None of them said a single word for a long time.

**Well guys – you wanted fluff, you got fluff. I hope you like it! If you do, please review, if you don't – well, you should review as well, and give me some constructive criticism. Thanks a lot!!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer****: They still belong to FOX. But as they have time off for the summer, they can as well star in my little story, don't you think?**

**Oh my, you guys. Are any of you readers left? You probably thought I wouldn't continue this, didn't you? Well, I could make up excuses, but I'm going to be honest: too little time, too much writer's block – even I wasn't sure I could keep this up.**

**But, as you can see – I finally got my act together and so today I give you (insert happy clapping here) Chapter 10! Enjoy! **

**(You might want to re-read the last chapters so you remember where we left.)**

Zach and Jack were busy doing yet another beetle race. Since they knew that Booth was going to be ok again, the tension of the last almost two weeks had vanished, and they happily took advantage of the fact that Dr. Brennan was still absent from the lab. It gave them time for more exiting experiments which usually weren't accepted – or, as Angela called it with yet another sigh, "time to play stupid games".

Jack cheered while his beetle crossed the finish line in front of Zach's. "There you go! Told you he is a winner!"

Zach shrugged. "Mildred just needs some more training. Her physical abilities are way more convincing than his in my opinion."

Jack laughed and patted Zach's back. "You can say what you want. Harvey is superior. As you just saw."

He walked over to Angela, who was staring at her computer screen, while Zach gently looked at his beetle and mumbled something that sounded like "don't listen to that old guy, Mildred."

Angela looked up when she felt Jack standing right behind her. He kissed her on the head. "So, how are you doing over here, beautiful?"

Angela smiled. "Pretty good. I'm almost done with updating those files. I thought I might..."

She stopped as her cell phone started ringing. "Hello?...Oh hi, Sully. Haven't heard from you in days, I almost thought you don't want to have anything to do with us. ... Excuse me? Oh, no, he's doing much better. ... Yeah, Brennan is still with him. All the time. I'm sorry, that's probably awkward for you, isn't it. ... Well, I say that because you always ask about her. And you avoid visiting Booth because you know that's where she is. ... Ok, you're right, let's not go into that. So are there any news?"

Jack and Zach had both moved close to her by now, trying hard to overhear what Sully was saying on the other end of the line. Angela frowned and pulled the phone away.

"...Really? When did that happen? ... So you are gonna go there now? Maybe I should... Well, yes, I know, but...man, don't you have any faith in me?"

She looked frustrated. "Ok, Sully, but call me ASAP when you find something. Promise me that. ... Yes, ok. I'll tell Booth. But you really have to sort things out with Brennan. This is getting annoying. ... OK. Bye Sully."

Jack and Zach stood in front of her with questioning looks on their face. Angela put down the phone.

"Guys, they might know where Julio is. Some informer said he spotted him in another part of town, so that might be where he is hiding. Cullen and Sully are going there right now."

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Back at the hospital, Seeley Booth was sitting in a wheelchair at the small table in his room, with his mother Laura in a chair at his side. Bones had agreed to help his dad, who had gone to get some things from the hotel, as his parents where about to leave for Philadelphia this afternoon.

It gave mother and son a welcomed opportunity to talk about what was on their minds - and Laura Booth still had a lot on hers, for sure.

"Seeley, are you sure it is ok if we leave? I mean, maybe your dad can talk to his boss and get some more days off. I'm sure he will understand."

Booth shook his head. "That's sweet of you, mom, but you really need to go back. You guys spent your whole vacation in this lousy hospital room, you really need to be home. You're totally exhausted."

Laura gently ran her fingers through his hair. "You're sure you will be ok? You really scared us, Seeley. "

"I know. And I'm sorry. But I'm fine, well, at least I'm getting there. I just can't stand that you and Bones forget yourself all the time while taking care of me. I'm getting a guilty conscience."

Laura smiled. "You know you don't have to. So ok, we'll drive back to Philly today. Maybe we can come back for a weekend in a couple of weeks and see how you're doing." He nodded.

She looked him in the eyes. "So how are you and Bones coming along?"

Seeley bit his tongue. They had told no one about what happened that night last week. He knew that there was something going on between himself and Bones, it really had been the beginning of something very deep. But he also knew that their relationship was still fragile, with all the stress of him still being in the hospital and attacker still on the run. They needed time and space on their own.

But then again, this was his mom. You don't lie to your own mother, do you?

"Well, we are... I'm happy she's around, you know? She's been wonderful to me. She is a very special woman."

That didn't really spill the beans, did it?

Laura chuckled. Oh, she knew exactly what was going on. And she approved of it. A lot.

She liked Temperance Brennan from the beginning, and she was pretty sure that she and her son would make a perfect match.

She decided not to push the issue, though. They had to find their own way, in their own time. She was pretty sure everything would work out fine.

Michael and Temperance returned soon after. They sat together for another couple of minutes, before Booth's parents decided to get on their way. It was a difficult to say good-bye, especially for Laura, but she knew it was the for the best. While giving Bones a big hug, she whispered in her ear: "Take good care of him. I know you will. You are what he needs right now, girl."

Bones flushed. Michael giggled. Booth scratched his head, pretending he didn't really know what was going on.

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Agent Tim Sullivan was silent and contemplative while he and Cullen were driving to the abandoned and run-down apartment complex which had been mentioned by their informer. He felt bad about not having paid Booth a visit yet, though he was sure Booth understood. He had always felt the special relation between Temperance and Seeley. He had never thought though that they could end up as a couple – he had been sure that maybe, after a couple of month, there was a chance for himself to get back into Temperance's life.

But now, as he knew that she had more or less lived at the hospital for the last two weeks, he figured that he was out of the picture and things had evolved in a different direction.

Cullen watched him from the side. Never had he felt so much determination in Agent Sullivan's actions. He had always been a very good agent, but now, as this was about what happened to Booth, there was this burning ambition to find his attacker.

They reached their destination after a half hour of driving in silence. They were met by the mobile task force, as planned. They were not sure what kind of guy this was, but they were going to be prepared for all possibilities.

All the men carefully found their position in order to observate the said building's entry. He had to come out eventually. And then they would be there to ask him a couple of serious questions.

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In the dark and dirty room, Isabel sat in the corner and tried not to make a sound. Her cheek was still burning from what Julio had called a "valuable lesson" this morning. She had gathered up all her courage and asked him what he thought was going to happen. No way they could stay in here forever, could they? He went ballistic. She had always been scared of him, but this time, she really felt him going more and more insane.

There was no food left, which didn't seem to bother him, but there was also no water and – worst thing for Julio – no booze.

So by now, he was preparing to leave to get some more supplies. He had told her not to move, or she would have to face the consequences. When it was starting to get dark outside, he once more locked her up in their hiding place and left.

When she heard people starting to shout outside, she knew he was probably not coming back.

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"Come on, just a little bit further." Bones carefully supported Booth, while she and a nurse helped him to get back into bed from the wheelchair. Even that was enough to pretty much exhaust Booth. He still wasn't allowed to put weight on his leg, which made it hard to move around. He felt weak – and it frustrated him.

After the nurse had left, Bones gave him a reassuring smile while she sat down next to him on the bed. He sighed.

"I can't stand lying here any longer. This is driving me totally insane."

She leaned on him. "But you're getting better so fast. The doctor sat your progress is astonishing. Your shoulder is all better already and everything else is healing nicely as well. You heard him, maybe you can go home as soon as next week. That's great!"

He nodded, but still looked unhappy."Yeah. Can't wait. Can't wait to walk out of here, except – walking is not exactly what I would call this, would I." He gave the wheelchair next to his bed a disgusted look.

Bones sat up. "You're being unfair. You need patience, ok, but please, don't be so mad about the situation." She moved her finger down his cheek. "You'll be walking again in no time."

She moved closer to him, their foreheads touching and their eyes staring right into the other one's. He finally managed to smile.

"Ok." he said. "As long as you're walking right next to me."

She giggled as their lips met each other.

It wasn't a good time for Bone's cell phone to ring, but as hard as she tried to ignore the constant beeping, she just couldn't. She climbed off the bed, whispering "I'm sorry..." and grabbing her purse in order to look for the phone. Finally she found it.

"Brennan."

"Tempe? It's me, Angela. I'm sorry, I hope I am not disturbing you."

Booth stretched himself as good as he could, trying to get a hold of Bone's shirt and pull her back to the bed.

"No Ange, it's ok. We were just... well... is it anything important?"

"I guess it is. I had a call from... Cullen's office. They probably got the guy who hurt Booth. They were informed where he is hiding and they managed to take him into custody."

Bones closed her eyes. Booth stopped pulling her shirt, looking at her anxiously.

She swallowed hard.

"I'm coming to pick you up. Be there in half an hour."

She put down the phone before Angela could protest and grabbed her purse, clearly shaken.

Booth gave her a puzzled look. "What did she say?"

Bones kissed him on the cheek. "They got him. The guy who shot you. And I'm going to go and take a look at him. Actually, I want to look him straight in the eyes. After all, he's the guy who almost destroyed your life – and therefore, mine."

**Well, we are pretty close to the ending of this little story, but there's still a little more to come. I hope you guys stay with me. This time, I'm not going to let you wait for such a long time, I promise!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: They're not mine. As I said. Multiple times.**

**Hello everybody and welcome back. As promised, this update comes way quicker than the last one. Thanks for all your reviews, I was very happy that there are still some readers left. **

**Let's have Chapter 11! Oh, by the way – I used two Spanish sentences in here. As I don't speak ANY Spanish at all, please correct me if I (or this strange translating program I used) messed up. Thanks!**

Brennan and Angela arrived at the FBI headquarters after a fast and very silent car ride. While Angela had tried to keep up a conversation, she soon noticed that Brennan was so totally lost in her thoughts that there was no use to it.

They entered the building and quickly made their way to the fourth floor, where they met Cullen. He seemed surprised.

"Dr. Brennan. Miss Montenegro. I didn't expect to see the both of you here so soon."

Brennan looked right past him, trying to catch a glimpse of the interrogation room.

"Is he in there?" she asked, even forgetting to greet Cullen properly.

Angela smiled apologetically.

"Hi, Deputy Director. I'm sorry, but when we heard that a suspect was caught, we couldn't wait to come here. I hope you don't mind. "

Cullen seemed a little bit confused, and was pretty much taken by surprise. Brennan took advantage of the situation and didn't hesitate to walk past him, up to the interrogation room.

Cullen sped after her, but didn't attempt to stop her, just accompanied her inside. He probably knew he couldn't stop her anyway.

Angela chuckled. Brennan's determination was sensational and admirable. She decided not to disturb and took a seat outside the room, clutching a manila folder containing a copy of her drawing from the victim.

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Inside the interrogation room, Brennan and Cullen were standing in front of the large two-way mirror that separated them from the suspect. Julio was calmly sitting on the wooden table, staring into the air. His eyes showed no expression whatsoever.

Brennan couldn't take her eyes off the man.

So that was him. They guy that almost killed Booth. She drew a hearable breath.

Cullen finally spoke, while they both kept staring at Julio.

"Dr. Brennan, I'm not quite sure why you want to go in there with him. He won't make a statement. But when we found him, he was carrying a gun which I am pretty sure was the one he used to attack Booth and kill Jose. And there were blood stains on his shirt. We are currently matching the bullets, and trying to find out if it's Jose's blood. If it is, he's done with."

He paused for a second, as if not being sure if he should continue. "He wasn't afraid to use the weapon. He actually tried to shoot Agent Sullivan."

Brennan looked at him in shock. "Sully..." she mumbled. "God, is he alright?"

Cullen nodded. "Oh, yes. The bullet only grazed him very slightly. Nothing major. Don't worry. So, you really want to talk to that bastard?"

Brennan swallowed hard.. "Yes. I need to talk to him. I need closure."

They both entered the the second part of the room. Brennan sat down on the table, facing Julio, while Cullen stood closely behind her.

Brennan looked right into Julio's face. He seemed totally uninterested.

"Julio Dias." she said, trying to look him straight in the eyes. No response.

She continued. "You know why I'm here, don't you?" Still nothing.

Brennan kept talking. "I was there. I watched you shoot my ... partner. I don't know why you did it, but that doesn't matter anyway, does it? He almost died because of you, and I'm only here to tell you one thing." She paused, waiting for a reaction, but Julio kept staring in another direction.

Brennan frowned. Her voice was trembling for a second, but she regained control, and her words sounded determined. "You lost. It's over. You're gonna pay for this, and no one is going to care about you and what happens to you. I won't waste another word on you, Julio. You wanted to break us – but you didn't. The only one who will be broken very soon is you."

With this words, she stood up and turned around to leave. Cullen followed her. Before the door shut behind them, they heard Julio finally speak one sentence:

"Próxima vez que nos encontramos, te mataré y él." – "Next time we meet, I'll kill you and him."

Brennan answered without turning around.

"Esto nunca pasará, you scum." – "That will never happen."

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Meanwhile, Angela sat outside the door, waiting. She nervously tapped her fingers on the folder in her hands, thinking about was happening inside. She knew Brennan as a very rational, calm person, but right now it was probably for the best that Booth had always denied her to have a gun.

Suddenly, a door on the other side of the corridor opened and she saw Sully walking in her direction. He had taken off his shirt and was only wearing a white T-shirt which spotted blood stains all over. He was clutching his arm, on which he had a blood-stained makeshift-bandage. Angela let out a small scream of horror.

"Sully! What the hell happened to you!"

Sully smiled and tried to wave it off. "Don't worry, it's only a scratch. The bullet only grazed me. Looks way worse than it actually is."

He still winced at Angela moved closer and carefully examined the wound.

"My god, Sully. You should be at the hospital." She shook her head in disbelief.

"Believe me, I'm OK. I wanted to accompany Julio, and also the woman that was with him. She is pretty stressed out, poor thing. He must have been very cruel to her. I guess she's the young lady from your photograph."

Angela got excited. "She is? Can I see her? Sully, please, can I talk to her? Maybe she has the answer that we've been looking for. It's been on my mind all the time. I need to see her."

Sully couldn't resist her begging. "Maybe I can arrange it that you talk to her after we..."

They were interrupted when the door behind them opened and Cullen and Brennan suddenly entered the corridor. Sully stopped in the middle of his sentence when he saw his ex-girlfriend. Brennan also seemed taken aback by seeing him. They stood right in front of each other, none of them saying a word.

Angela stepped aside, scratching her head. "Whoops."

Finally, Brennan pulled herself together. "Sully. You... I... you're hurt." She pointed at his blood-stained sleeve.

He nodded. "Yeah. I know. It's nothing, don't worry."

She stared at him. He stared at her.

Cullen made an attempt to end the awkward situation. "Agent Sullivan, your injury needs to be taken care of. I told you to go the emergency room, why are you still here?"

Sully sighed. "I wanted to talk to the woman. She is pretty shaken, I didn't want to leaver her alone."

"She won't be alone, Agent Sullivan. Now go and let yourself get patched up. I'll talk to her."

"I could... I mean, I'm going back to the hospital to see Booth..." Brennan chipped in. "You could come along. Cullen is right." She hesitated, wondering if it was the right thing to suggest.

But Sully gave in. "OK, maybe I should do that. Thanks for offering."

Angela rolled her eyes. All these weeks she had desperately arranged all kinds of things so Sully and Brennan wouldn't be confronted with each other – only to see them end up in one car together. Jack would have a good laugh at her when she would tell him about this.

Sully quickly persuaded Cullen to take Angela along with him when he spoke to Isabel, before he followed Brennan to her car in silence.

Cullen shook his head while walking down the corridor with Angela. He longed for a glass of whisky, his couch and his TV. This whole relationship-disarrangement caused him a headache, and Angela's happily chirping voice was not helping either.

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Temperance Brennan was lost in her thoughts. She was sitting at Booth's bedside yet again, but her mind wandered back an hour ago, when she gave Sully a ride to the hospital. The drive had ended up being a good chance to talk to each other.

Sully had asked her about Booth, and she had told him what had happened in the last two weeks. He had tried to explain why he hadn't come to visit, but she told him not to worry. She understood. And she was thankful he had been so considerate. When she dropped him off at the ER, they both had the feeling that their relationship ended, but there there was no grudge left between them.

Booth watched Bones from the side. He wondered what was going on in her mind. She had not said much since coming back, except telling him briefly about Julio and her encounter with Sully.

Now she had put her head on his shoulder, looking for comfort. He assumed it had all been a little too much for her, and he understood that.

He gently ran his fingers through her thick, auburn hair. "Bones?"

She looked up. "Yes?"

He tenderly ran his index finger down her face, tracing her cheek bones. It made her giggle. He smiled. This woman was incredible. Looking at her made him feel all warm inside.

"Bones, remember how you said you wanted to take some time off? Go on vacation?"

She nodded. "Yes. Well, I think I will have to delay that. I really need to get back to the lab."

Booth smiled. Same old Bones. He pointed at her laptop, which was sitting on the table.

"You've been working from here all the time. And as we both had a pretty hard time in the last two weeks, I say we both need a vacation more than ever."

Bones looked puzzled. "You mean, now?"

He chuckled. "Well, not right now. We have to wait until I'm finally out of here. But I won't be working for a while anyway, we should really spent some quality time at a nice place."

Brennan thought about it. She hadn't been on vacation for such a long time. The days she spent at the hospital with Booth had been the longest time she had been absent from the lab, ever.

Booth continued. "Come on, Bones. What if I say the doctor prescribed it, and I need you as my travel-along-nurse?"

She took his hand and gently kissed him on the cheek. "Then I'd say, whatever the patient needs will be done. It's a great idea, Booth. Let's do it."

Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door.

Booth looked over. "Come in!"

The door opened slowly and a hesitant Sully came in. The injury on his arm was now professionally bandaged.

He smiled shyly. "Hi. I thought, while I'm here, I might as well finally drop by..."

Booth was happily surprised. "Sully! Man, it's good to see you. How's the arm? Bones told me you got shot."

Sully walked over to the bed. "Only a grazing shot. They said there's no need to amputate."

He grinned. "Looks like you weren't quite as lucky. How are you doing, Booth?"

Booth shrugged. "Well, I'm getting there. Much better all ready."

Bones was happy to see the two of them together. They had been so close friends before, and she had always felt like she had taken that away from them. Maybe everything could be as before?

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Back at the FBI headquarters, Angela was not thinking about the Sully-Bones-dilemma anymore. She was busy. Busy holding a young woman called Isabel, who was crying in her arms. Isabel was shaking all over, sobbing, and the tears were running down her cheek and left wet marks on Angela's shirt.

Cullen felt uncomfortable. He stood in the background of the room, trying not to disturb, as this young Hispanic woman was pouring her heart out to Angela, who was gently patting her back and softly whispering to her, trying to calm her down.

At first, Isabel was very shy and reluctant. But when Angela pulled out her drawing, she broke down in tears. She understood immediately what this meant. Juan wasn't coming to rescue her. He was not coming back ever.

Her voice was trembling as she talked about leaving El Salvador. About what her hopes had been for a better future in the United States. She told them about Jose, who had always been kind to her, but didn't know how cruel his brother Julio would treat the young woman he had agreed to marry to keep her in the country.

And she talked about Juan. The love of her life. The man who she had to leave behind when she left South America, but who had promised to find her, so they could finally have a life together. The life they had both always dreamed of.

She still wept in Angela's arms. Her fingers gently traced the contours of Juan's face on the paper. It was all she had left from him.

**Actually, this could be the end, couldn't it? But as I adore my lovely readers, I will give you another chapter with a little epilogue. We need some more love in this cruel world, don't we? ;o)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Last chapter. And as promised – I only borrowed them, and I give them back to Fox now so we can have a lovely new season soon!**

EPILOGUE

The air was still chilly this early in the morning.

On the horizon, the sun was rising, softly reflecting in the river and turning the surrounding mountains into a wonderfully soft shade of light.

Right under the large pine trees, Temperance Brennan sat on a big rock, her legs dangling in the air. Her feet were still wet from the dew that covered the grass in front of the log cabin.

The world was silent but for the birds who were starting to sing.

She leaned back and closed her eyes.

"Mind if I join you?" a male voice behind her asked suddenly. She opened her eyes in surprise. She hadn't heard him coming.

"Seeley! I thought you were still asleep."

Booth smiled. "Well, I was. But then I suddenly felt like something really important was missing. I had to make sure you didn't elope with someone else."

Brennan jumped of the rock. Booth slowly walked over to her. He was still limping a little, and still wearing a knee brace, but other than that, he was pretty much back to his old self. They had been in the cabin for a couple of days, and were planning to spend some more, just trying to shut out the rest of the world and be with each other.

Booth gently kissed Bones on the forehead. They sat down in the grass, not minding the dew. Bones rested her head in Booth's lap, while he tenderly fondled with a strand of her hair. He sometimes couldn't believe she was here with him. It was all so perfect.

"So what did you do there, sitting on a rock at 5:30 in the morning?"

Temperance shrugged. "I couldn't sleep anymore. Thought I might as well sit there and enjoy the sunrise. I didn't want to wake you, you still need to rest."

Booth looked over to the sunrise. "It's beautiful, isn't it? And being here with you makes me feel so... complete." He bend forward to kiss her on the cheek.

She snuggled up closer to him. "That's a very sweet thing to say. It was a wonderful idea to come here. Remember when we talked about being this odd couple on TV?"

He nodded. "We'd always find the killer but we never find..."

Brennan interrupted him. "I think we turned it around. We found each other. And no one can ever take that away from us."

Booth pulled Bones into a close hug. Their lips touched, as they had done so often in the last couple of days.

All was well.

- THE END -

**Can you believe it? My story is finished! I borrowed the last sentence from the new Harry Potter-book, and I'm glad I could end it with a sentence like this.**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, you have all been wonderful! (You can review some more, if you like... that would make me so happy!)**


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